Thieves in the Night
by dingcs
Summary: It was too easy; four minutes had passed since he left the lobby, and all he needed was one more to grab the artifact and go. Unfortunately, his plans were ruined when he spotted a dark silhouette creeping up to the display.


**Thieves in the Night**

In the dead of the night, when the hustle and bustle of the city had finally died down and the lights of the museum's main entrance had dimmed, Takuya made his move. Pulling a mask over his face, he swiftly rounded the back corner of the building, unseen to the security cameras above him, and scaled up the wall into a window that was carelessly left open.

The museum, holder of all valuable artifacts, recruited the worst security known to man, or at least in his opinion it did since he'd been able to breach through its surveillance and steal numerous objects without being caught. Tonight was no different as he went after one of the museum's most prized displays: Seraph's armored helmet. He didn't really understand why it was so desirable —just a stupid piece of headgear that belonged to some person he didn't know who— but his client was willing to pay big cash for the steal and he didn't dare to pass up the offer. For whatever the helmet was worth, he made sure tonight's heist went according to plan.

He lowered himself to the ground and landed on his feet with a barely audible thump, silent as a mouse. Considering his previous break-ins, it became routine for him to stay close flattened against the wall and maneuver stealthily behind the security guard who had fallen asleep at his post in the lobby again. He couldn't blame him. There was nothing to do, and with the museum so abandoned and so quiet without the hordes of elementary school students running about or tourist families crowding popular exhibits, sleepiness could only rise from the 8-hour boredom. Takuya almost felt sorry for him, but alas, now was not the time to grieve for the man's misfortunes. He had a helmet to steal.

It was located on the east wing of the building, and currently he was in the main lobby. Pushing his sleeve up to look at his watch, which read 12:17 AM in neon green, he decided he didn't want to spend much time on this larceny and was determined to leave with the object in hand no longer than ten minutes. It was more than enough time for him, seeing the lack of quality security. Hell, if he sprinted, he'd be done in five.

He glanced at the snoring guard one last time and snerked to himself before disappearing in the shadows of the pillars.

After dashing through the hallway, mindful of not wadding into the camera's line of sight or setting off any alarms that had been installed in the newer renovated areas of the museum, he reached his destination. In the center of the room displayed the sanctified helmet of Seraph illuminated by a lone light that had highlighted its bold shade of blue and silvery winged metal. It was out in the open for him to take, and he could practically smell the ten grand in his hands.

It was too easy.

Four minutes had passed since he left the lobby, and all he needed was one more to grab the helmet and go. Unfortunately, his plans were ruined when he spotted a dark silhouette creeping up to the display.

—

A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead and accumulated in a mass at the tip of her nose. Ever since Zoe stepped inside the building, it felt like the air had become thicker, as if a blanket of humidity hovered over her. Then she realized it wasn't the sudden change in temperature that made her sweat; it was her nerves. She stood at an arms-length away from the pedestal and felt her heart pound against her chest as her eyes focused closely on the object at hand.

It was beautiful as it was significant. She remembered reading its history in a magazine article where it mentioned that the helmet once belonged to the great soldier Seraph who protected his land from all evil and restored civilization alongside the ten legendary warriors. A truly magnificent artifact indeed; to stand next to it was an honor in its celestial presence. She almost felt bad for taking it from its rightful belonging, but there was no backing out now.

Besides, getting to where she stood took a lot of effort. She was new in town, moving in just two days ago from her home in the west coast, and she hardly knew the architecture of the museum. It didn't help that her boss had only given her the objective of stealing Seraph's helmet and left her to research and memorize the floor plans on her own. Extra work never intrigued her; had it been done days before, she would be running out with the helmet already.

Another problem that delayed her heist was the night guard who would appear in every room she tried hiding away in as he made a few laps around the exhibit for inspection. She wasn't sure if he was aware of her presence, but she was able to sneak up behind him just as he was reading one of the information plaques and put him to sleep, even nice enough to sit him down on one of those comfy chairs in the main lobby.

At least now the night guard was the least of her concerns. He would be senseless for a good half hour, which was more than enough time for Zoe to swipe the helmet and go.

Taking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, she reached out for the object, and when she was in the clear, her fingertips just barely making any physical contact, a voice called out to her from behind.

"Freeze. Put your hands where I could see them."

Blood drained from her face as she stood frozen to the marble-tiled floor. _Impossible, _she thought, knowing the drug could not have lost its effect that quickly. But if it wasn't the guard behind her, then who was? Was there another guard on duty she wasn't aware of?

"C'mon bud, I've caught you red handed."

Zoe sighed and slowly brought her hands behind her head, quickly concocting an escape plan. In rare occasions would she engage in actual fist fights, but she had no other option unless she wanted to spend a night in a cell, which was none to her liking. So she turned around to face the perpetrator of her plans, drew a balled fist back, and threw it in his direction with every intention of socking him across the face. However she pegged the person's agility wrongly for he was able to dodge her attack, catch her wrist, and twist it behind her back. He applied harsh pressure on it to make her wince.

"Cute," he whispered in her ear, smug.

"I try," she replied simply, keeping her outrage at bay because she knew she wasn't defeated yet. While she allowed him a glimpse of victory, she elbowed him in the gut using her free hand and shuffled away from his loosened grasp, hands positioned in front of her in defense. From there, she got a better look of the man, and rather than him dressed in a police officer uniform like she expected, he wore similar garbs of tight black clothing as her.

He wasn't a cop. He was a thief, one of her own.

"Who the hell are you?"

—

Copying their movements with hands out in front, Takuya cautiously approached the mystery person and gave them a once-over, noticing how small they were compared to him, in fact, a whole head shorter. Their voice was also uncharacteristically high and feminine to be classified as a man's voice. Curiosity overcame him, so he allowed his gaze to drop down to their chest area, and he immediately grinned when he saw the curvaceous outline of body parts men certainly do not possess.

The mystery person was a woman.

Suddenly things became a lot more interesting.

"I could ask you the same."

"I asked you first."

"Takuya." His named spilled out of his mouth before he considered any possible threat that could be used against him, though he wasn't really worried about it. There was something reassuring about the woman that made him think she wasn't as dangerous as she seemed, just a little competition for the night. A change from his regular heists. He liked it.

"Well, _Takuya_, you have quite the humor to scare me like that. You had me there for a second." She lowered her arms and stepped forward, shouldering him aside so that she could resume her ministrations prior to his abrupt intrusion. "Now if you excuse me, I have some business to take care of and I would appreciate it if you could just _leave_."

"So soon? We just met."

"Your presence suffocates me."

He chuckled at her dismissive behavior. "You know," he drawled, ambling beside the girl, much to her dislike. "You haven't told me your name yet."

She remained silent as she stood in front of the pedestal and surveyed the surrounding area to ensure it was free from any motion-detectors, her mind set in completing her objectives and not at all making small chat with a fellow bandit.

"Hello? Did you hear me?"

"I'm a little busy at the moment," she growled, keeping her back towards him. She sucked in another gust of air while her shaky hands hovered over the helmet, the pressure winding down more so on the fact that Takuya was watching her. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she messed up and made a fool of herself right there.

"You're so slow," he snorted, thinking that she was handling her job way too seriously. "Just take it."

"I know what I'm doing!"

"Doesn't look like it. You're just standing there."

"Because no one just walks inside a museum and takes what they desire. Every movement counts and I—"

"Don't waste your time. This museum has the worst security ever; you can literally steal anything, run straight out the front door, and still not get caught. I speak from experience."

"Are you touched in the head? It's not that simple!"

"Just take it!"

"FINE!" Agitated, she seized Seraph's helmet out of its glass case and cringed, expecting the worst to come for her rash decision: alarms going off, traps activating, and an entire police squad barging in to arrest them.

Except nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, it was empty and noiseless, save for Takuya and his all-knowing smirk she had come to hate. "See? Easy as pie."

He was right though, surprisingly enough. Past break-ins were never this uncomplicated, and she favored the idea of not fending off security this time. She looked down at the helmet and smiled to herself, moving to place the object inside her bag until her actions were halted when Takuya grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me," she demanded, pulling her arm back.

His grip only tightened. "If you think I'm gonna let you run away with the helmet, you're sadly mistaken."

"And what are you going to do about it?" she challenged.

Suddenly the air became thick again, and the growing tension between the two threatened to snap like a rubber band when emerald clashed with hazel. Takuya towered over her, and only for a moment did his hatred turn into the slightest form of fondness for the female thief. He had thought Zoe was cute from the way she had to tilt her head back just to glare at him, herself thinking she was being intimidating when her diminutive height conveyed the opposite, to the delectable pout on her lips. It was a shame the rest of her face was hidden under the mask, otherwise he'd grant her the chance of escaping.

Then again, he was never that gracious.

The right corner of his mouth quirked as he snatched Seraph's helmet from her tiny hands and bolted out in the other direction.

It took Zoe half a second to react, but Takuya was already on the opposite side of the hallway thanks to his long legs. She chased after him, relentlessly pumping her arms and legs to go faster, despite the pain that came along with it, because she couldn't let him flee with the helmet; ten thousand dollars were at stake. Her determination lent her some promise as she gained sight of him dashing through the lobby, just about to exit through the doors of the main entrance.

A few moments later, the both of them beyond the vicinity of the museum and somewhere in a park maintaining the cat-and-mouse chase, Zoe finally caught up with Takuya. The weight of the helmet was probably what caused him to slow down, and she blessed the karma raining down on him. Trailing right on his heel, she hesitated no longer and jumped onto his back, successfully tackling him to the ground; the helmet rolled away from his hands.

The impact of the fall stunned him for a second, an opportune time for her to rise on her feet and steal the helmet, however as she rushed for it, he extended his arm, grabbed her ankle, and dragged her back to him.

"Get off!" she yelped, kicking him off though to no avail. His strength was an advantage against her, thus leaving the girl trapped between him and the ground with her wrists pinned above her head.

"Will you let me have the helmet?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then I hope you find this comfortable because I'm gonna be here all night."

He found the predicament they were in strangely endearing with her thrashing around desperately an escape, unwilling to admit defeat even though it was very obvious that she had been. That sort of determination was admirable, but even so, he couldn't help the pride swelling in his chest.

"I will end your life right here if you do not release me this instant," she threatened, still fighting him off.

"Oh, I'm so scared. Just look at me shake!"

"If you wanted the helmet so much, why did let me have it first hand?"

"I figured it would be nice of myself to coach a newbie on her first steal."

"I'm not a newbie!"

"'Could have fooled me..."

Takuya doubted her prestige and that was all it took for the building rage in her blood to boil over and surface in her actions of kneeing him where it hurts and flipping them over so that the positions were reversed. "Feel pretty dumb now, don't ya?" she asked him, laugh condescending as she prepared herself for the final blow. However before her fist made contact with his jaw, another voice interrupted the brawl, a resonant voice that was familiar to the both of them.

"So, I see you two have met."

From the ground, Takuya and Zoe gazed up at the hefty, wide-shouldered man who stood over them smiling, as if he wasn't in the middle of witnessing a possible murder, and when their eyes adjusted to the light from the overhead lamp post, they both recognized the man and his stubbly face.

He was their boss.

"Mr. Shibayama?" They uttered simultaneously.

Zoe whipped her head around to face Takuya, great confusion encircling her. "Wait, how do you know him?"

"He's my boss," he stated as a matter of fact, sitting up-right and shoving her off him. "How do _you_ know him?"

The man named 'Shibayama' didn't give Zoe the chance to answer as he swooped down to capture the helmet laying on the grass and motioned for the thieves to follow him into the van. "Come along you two. Looks like I have some explaining to do."

—

The ride to Mr. Shibayama's headquarters—or rather, his apartment—was not all tranquil and at peace with Zoe hollering so violently from the back seat. She demanded answers to her questions, but he had chosen to hold them off until it was the right time to respond to them safely in his office.

"Mr. Shibayama, what _the fuck_ is going on?" Her ceaseless chain of questions resumed as soon as they entered the building, and Takuya had to purse his lips together to avoid snorting at her frank impatience. He didn't mind the girl's unladylike rudeness because he too wanted an explanation for this disorientating situation; he only lacked the passion she obviously had.

"Ms. Orimoto," the boss started, seating himself on his leather chair, "I can not take you seriously with that mask on your face."

Zoe ripped the mask off her head, her dark green orbs more prominent when in contrast with her pearly skin, and threw the fabric on the floor angrily.

He smiled once more now that her appearance was less death-impending. "Now if you would like to take a seat, I will start addressing your issues." While she rolled her eyes at him and settled down, Mr. Shibayama's attention lead toward the second accomplice who had been waiting quietly under the door frame. "Come, Takuya," he invited, gesturing to the chair next to Zoe. "I'm sure she won't bite."

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge," Takuya half-joked, remembering how she clawed at him and nearly bit his head off at the park, shuddering at the unpleasant memory.

He didn't miss the annoyed expression flitting across her face as he sat down next to her.

"Mr. Shibayama—"

"Please, Zoe, call me JP. We're all friends here."

"_Mr. Shibayama_," she stressed, the "friendship" ordeal purposely dismissed because there was no way she was befriending these buffoons. Her sole purpose of being involved with JP and his assignments was to receive money and nothing else. She eyed Takuya. "Who is this guy?"

"Ah yes, I reckon it is best to start with introductions... since you two will be working together for your next objective."

"_WHAT?!_"

"Zoe, this is Takuya Kanbara."

"Mr. Shibayama, I do not recall this being in the contract. I—"

"Takuya, Zoe Orimoto."

"Of all the ridiculous ideas you've been getting lately, JP, this—"

"Fifty grand each," Mr. Shibayama offered conclusively, knowing money was the only factor that could hold their interests, and it worked; the proposal seemed to quiet the pair and keep them still. He pulled out two manila folders and tossed it to the bandits.

Zoe took the folder and thumbed through its contents. "I think you distrust my abilities. I am fully capable of handling this on my own."

Mr. Shibayama nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, while I do agree that your talents exceed above average, (Zoe threw Takuya a cheeky grin.) this kind of steal cannot be done alone. Takuya, who has been my accomplice for two years present, too, matches the skills that you master (He threw one right back.) and I feel it is best to have you both work together. That is why I asked for you to steal this helmet: so that you can meet and see each other's potential.

"Anyways, you have until the end of the week to complete the next objective. And Zoe, you will have to take abode with Takuya for the time being since there is limited room in my small apartment, but please use this opportunity to get acquainted with him. You are partners, after all."

The suggestion left a sour taste in her mouth.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_to be continued._

* * *

**note: **What's a better way to start 2013 than with some Takumi! Haha.

I don't know why this took me so long to write (wanted to get this out before Christmas, but as you can see, epic fail) but it's finally done! Now all I gotta do is write part 2, which will come soon, hopefully. So stick around for the epic badassery that is Takuya and Zoe.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcomed.


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